Mom's Chili Sauce

from Betty

36 large tomatoes, peeled (put tomatoes in warm water for a few minutes then peel)
8 large onions (or use dehydrated)
6 green peppers
3 cups vinegar
1 cup sugar (if you want is sweeter add more; up to 5 cups*)
1 TBS cinnamon
1 TBS cloves
4 TBS salt
1 TBS ginger

1.  Blend tomatoes, onions, and green peppers in blender.  Place them in a large heavy pot to cook.  Cook them together for 30 minutes.

2.  Add vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and ginger.  Cook all together until it thickens and becomes desired consistency.  (about an hour and a half)  (I cooked it outside on the cache cooker.)

3.  Fill pint or quart jar.  Add lids and rings.  In a cold pack canner cover jars completely with water and allow to come to boil.  (If your chili sauce is still hot the cold water might break your glass jars so use warm water or wait until chili sauce cools before processing.) Once boiling lower heat, cover and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove from water and let set until lid seals.  Repeat with rest of bottles.

4.  Best if eaten after you let it set for a couple of weeks or longer.

* The more sugar you use, the faster it will thicken.

Yield about 9 pints

Mom's Salsa

from Betty

22 lbs. tomatoes*, peeled (to peel put them in warm water for a few minutes then peel with knife)
9 large white onions chopped (or use dehydrated)
9 large green peppers, chopped
2 large garlics, chopped (or use dehydrated)
11 small jalapeno peppers with seeds removed (or canned)
1 TBS cumin seed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
1 cup vinegar
4 cans (12 oz each) tomato paste

1.  Put vegetable in blender and blend.  When everything is blended, combine all vegetables and spices together in a large heavy pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for about 3-1/2 hours. (At the end of the cooking, the salsa is bubbling and popping so I like to cook it outside on a cache cooker, so there is less mess.)

2.  Fill pint or quart jars.  Cover with lids and rings.  Put the jars in a cold pack canner.  Cover with enough water to completely cover jars.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and let it boil for 10 minutes.  Remove from water and let set for a couple of days before eating.  Your bottles should seal after removing them from the water.  (If the salsa is hot in the jars and you put cold water on them the glass jars may break, so we put warm water in the cold pack canner or you can let them cool before cold packing).

Yield about 19 pints.  (*You can use canned tomatoes just cut down the salt or use canned without salt.)

After opening can; store in refrigerator

Candy Topped Cookie Bars

from Kaitlin in the Kitchen

1 Cup (2 Sticks) Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2-1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I prefer milk chocolate chips)
About 8-10 Fun Size Candy Bars, chopped (Butterfinger, Snickers, PB cups, etc)


1. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add baking soda and salt, then mix.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.

3. Add flour and mix until well blended.

4. Pour batter into an even layer in a greased 9"x 13" baking pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350℉ oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (they should be a dark golden brown). As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over top and let set for about 5 minutes. The chocolate chips should be melted and easily spreadable. Spread them in a even layer over the bars, then quickly before the chocolate sets, sprinkle on your chopped candy bars. Let cool before cutting into bars.

For this picture I did half with Butterfingers and half with Reese's PB Cups

Mozzarella Sticks

from Kaitlin in the Kitchen

1 Package String Cheese (12 total)

1-1/2 Cups Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs

1 Cup Flour

2 Eggs, beaten

2 Cups Vegetable Oil

Ranch and/or Marinara Sauce for dipping

1. Cut string cheese in half width-wise.

2. Coat 1 string cheese at a time in this order: flour, eggs and then breadcrumbs. Place them on something you can put in the freezer and once you've coated all of them, place them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, just to set the coating.

3. Heat up your oil in a shallow skillet and then carefully with a pair of tongs place your sticks into the oil and let them fry, turning to evenly cook them, until they are golden brown and cheese just starts to ooze out.

4. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

Marshmallow Creme Fruit Salad

from Betty

1 (8 oz.) container cool whip, regular or lite
1 (7 oz.) container marshmallow creme
6 oz. raspberries
6 oz. blackberries
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and sliced
any other fruit you want

1.  Mix cool whip and marshmallow creme together until smooth. (You may need an electric mixer.)  Add fruit and fold in gently until incorporated.

Corn Relish

from Lori


1/2 Bottle Zesty Italian Dressing (you need about 8 oz.)
1 can (3.8 oz.) chopped olives
6 to 8 chopped Roma tomatoes
3 to 4 chopped avocados
3-4 chopped green onions
1 chopped green pepper
1 bag (12 oz.) frozen sweet white corn
1 tsp. garlic salt

1. Set bag of corn out to thaw while cutting vegetables. Mix all together.

2. Serve with corn chips etc.

S'More Bars

from Real Mom Kitchen

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 7 full crackers processed until fine)
2 giant Hershey's milk chocolate bar (7 oz each)
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.  Grease a 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch pan. (Or put foil in pan then grease so it all lifts out before cutting.  Leave foil extra long to pull out of pan from both sides)

2.  Use an electric mixer and cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla extract and combine.  Set aside.

3.  Whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt.  Slowly add flour mixture to creamed mixture until well combined.

4.  Divide dough in half.  Press half of dough on bottom of prepared pan.

5.  Top dough with chocolate bars.  They should fit side by side.

6.  Spread marshmallow creme evenly on top of chocolate layer. (Place blobs of it then spread)

7.  Top marshmallow layer with single layer of remaining cookie dough.  (I rolled it out in between waxed paper and then placed pieces on top sealing seams as I went.)

8.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Cut into bars and enjoy.

W calls these heaven on a summer day.